Sharks and Bruins keep tabs on each other

BOSTON — Though their teams are in different conferences, Sharks and Boston Bruins players confess they check each other out.

"We watch them. We know the records," Bruins forward Marc Savard said, noting the time difference makes it easy for East Coast teams to follow those on the West Coast. "We flip on their games to see how they're doing because we always want to try and stay ahead of them."

Sharks defenseman Rob Blake said he began paying more attention to the Bruins about a month into the season, when it became clear they were for real.

"You're watching to see what makes them so successful because you want to be at that same level," he said. "Players watch games for a particular reason — to see what they're doing, to see why their power play or their penalty kill is a top five on both sides.

"Obviously we're in that same category," Blake added, "and you kind of compare the two teams."